Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Lizard-Flathead.
Triggering wind slabs remain a possibility. Seek sheltered terrain and shady aspects for decent riding conditions.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
Fairly benign weather pattern for the forecast period.Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Alpine temperatures near -4 and freezing levels at valley bottom. Ridgetop winds light from the west. Wednesday: Cloudy with possible sunny breaks. Alpine temperatures near -5 with light west winds. Thursday: Mainly cloudy. Alpine temperatures near -7 with ridgetop winds light west.
Avalanche Summary
On Sunday, avalanche control using explosives produced avalanches up to size 1. On Monday, loose wet avalanche activity was observed from steep S-SW slopes up to size 1.Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
A variety of snow surfaces exist throughout the region. Stiff wind slabs sit on a wide range of aspects on alpine and exposed treeline slopes. In sheltered treeline and below treeline terrain, I suspect light amounts of low-density snow intermingle with surface hoar and surface facets.Roughly 30-60 cm below the surface you'll likely find a hard crust that was buried near the end of November. This crust is approximately 30 cm thick and extends from 1600 m to mountain top on all aspects. Below this crust, the snowpack is moist to ground. Average snowpack depths at treeline elevations in the region range from 80-120 cm.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.